the wall opposite the doorway. Baker walked in. His eyes made a quick circuit of the room, stopped briefly at the box, then turned to them.

"What's the gun for?" Harvey said bitterly.

Baker smiled. "You didn't trust me, hence I didn't trust you. Mistrust begets mistrust. Now, gentlemen," he said briskly, "explain this invention you told me about."

"Before we do any explaining, we want you to know what we want."

"Go right ahead." Baker pulled a chair to the doorway and sat down. "Name your price."

"We'll take the gun."

Baker's eyebrows rose. "Impossible. This is the only weapon on the planet."

"That's all right with us. Hand it over and we'll tell you all about our invention."

"I'm sorry, this weapon must remain in our hands.